Dahlia plant named ‘HS Date’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Dahlia  plant named ‘HS Date’, characterized by its upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching growth habit; dark-colored foliage; early and freely flowering habit; daisy inflorescence form; large inflorescences with orange and red bi-colored ray florets; and good postproduction longevity and garden performance.

Botanical designation: Dahlia hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘HS Date’.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Dahlia Plant Named ‘HS Juliet’; Aad W. M. Verwer, Applicant; disclosedin U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 11/146,220.

Dahlia Plant Named ‘HS Kiss’; Aad W. M. Verwer, Applicant; disclosed inU.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 11/146,219.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dahliaplant, botanically known as Dahlia hybrida and hereinafter referred toby the name ‘HS Date’.

The new Dahlia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Lisse, The Netherlands. The objective of the breedingprogram is to create new compact potted Dahlia cultivars that have afreely branching growth habit, dark green-colored foliage, early andfreely flowering habit, daisy inflorescence form, attractive ray floretcoloration, inflorescences that are not persistent, and goodpostproduction longevity and garden performance.

The new Dahlia originated from a chance open-pollination in 1998 of aproprietary selection of Dahlia hybrida identified as code numberV00-cl-dr, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknownselection of Dahlia hybrida as the male, or pollen, parent. The newDahlia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single floweringplant within the progeny of the stated open-pollination grown in acontrolled environment in Lisse, The Netherlands in 1999.

Asexual reproduction of the new Dahlia by cuttings was first conductedin Lisse, The Netherlands during the spring of 2000. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newDahlia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar HS Date has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and light intensitywithout, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘HS Date’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘HS Date’ as a new and distinct Dahlia cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.    -   2. Freely branching growth habit.    -   3. Dark-colored foliage.    -   4. Early and freely flowering habit.    -   5. Daisy inflorescence form.    -   6. Large inflorescences with orange and red bi-colored ray        florets.    -   7. Good postproduction longevity and garden performance.

Plants of the new Dahlia differ primarily from plants of the femaleparent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Dahlia are much more compact than plants of        the female parent selection.    -   2. Plants of the new Dahlia and the female parent selection        differ in inflorescence form.    -   3. Plants of the new Dahlia and the female parent selection        differ in ray floret coloration.

Plants of the new Dahlia can be compared to the Dahlia cultivars HSJuliet, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 11/146,220and HS Kiss, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No.11/146,219. Plants of the new Dahlia differ from plants of the cultivarsHS Juliet and HS Kiss primarily in ray floret coloration.

Plants of the new Dahlia can also be compared to plants of the cultivarSunshine, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lisse,The Netherlands, plants of the new Dahlia differed from plants of thecultivar Sunshine in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Dahlia were larger than plants of the        cultivar Sunshine.    -   2. Plants of the new Dahlia had thicker lateral branches than        plants of the cultivar Sunshine.    -   3. Plants of the new Dahlia had darker-colored leaves than        plants of the cultivar Sunshine.    -   4. Ray florets of plants of the new Dahlia were orange and red        bi-colored ray florets of plants of the cultivar Sunshine were        yellow orange in color.    -   5. Plants of the new Dahlia had more and larger disc florets per        inflorescence than plants of the cultivar Sunshine.    -   6. Plants of the Dahlia had longer peduncles than plants of the        cultivar Sunshine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new Dahlia showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newDahlia. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typicalflowering plant of ‘HS Date’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementionedphotograph and the following observations and measurements describeplants grown and flowered during the summer and early autumn in Lisse,The Netherlands, in an outdoor nursery and under conditions whichapproximate those generally used in commercial production. During theproduction of the plants, day temperatures ranged between 15 and 30° C.and night temperatures ranged between 10 and 20° C. Plants were pinchedone time about three to four weeks after planting rooted cuttings.Plants were about four months old when the photographs and descriptionwere taken.

-   Botanical classification: Dahlia hybrida cultivar HS Date.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parents.—Proprietary selection of Dahlia            hybrida identified as code number V00-cl-dr, not patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Dahlia            hybrida, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—By vegetative cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About three days at 17° C.            Winter: About four days at 17° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—Summer: About 12 days            at 17° C. Winter: About 15 days at 17° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; older roots, fleshy.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense.        -   Tuber description.—Tuber development has not been observed.-   Plant description:    -   -   Appearance.—Perennial daisy-type potted Dahlia. Upright and            outwardly spreading plant habit; inverted triangle. Freely            branching habit, about four lateral branches; dense and full            plants. Moderately vigorous growth habit.        -   Plant height.—About 70 cm.        -   Plant diameter.—About 40 cm.        -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 50 to 60 cm.            Diameter: About 6 mm. Internode length: About 15 to 25 cm.            Strength: Strong. Texture: Glabrous, smooth. Color: 187A.        -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Leaves opposite; leaves            may be single or compound with three or five leaflets.            Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Attenuate. Margin:            Serrate; sinuses divergent. Length: Single leaves: About            8 cm. Compound leaves with three leaflets: About 10 cm.            Compound leaves with five leaflets: About 19 cm. Width:            Single leaves: About 4.5 cm. Compound leaves with three            leaflets: About 12 cm. Compound leaves with five leaflets:            About 17 cm. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Texture, upper and            lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Developing foliage,            upper surface: 137A overlain with 187B. Developing foliage,            lower surface: 148B. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface:            More purple than 200A. Fully expanded foliage, lower            surface: 148B overlain with 187B. Venation, upper surface:            187A. Venation, lower surface: 187C. Petiole length: Single            leaves: About 1 mm. Compound leaves with three leaflets:            About 7 mm. Compound leaves with five leaflets: About            3.5 cm. Petiole diameter: Single leaves: About 1 mm.            Compound leaves with three leaflets: About 2 mm. Compound            leaves with five leaflets: About 3 mm. Petiole color, upper            and lower surfaces: 187B.-   Inflorescence description:    -   -   Appearance.—Daisy inflorescence form; inflorescences rotate.            Inflorescences borne on terminals, arising from leaf axils,            positioned above the foliage. Ray and disc florets develop            acropetally on the receptacle. Inflorescences not fragrant.            Inflorescences persistent.        -   Flowering response.—Flowering recurrent to continuous during            the summer and autumn in The Netherlands. Early flowering            habit, plants start flowering about 70 days after planting.        -   Postproduction longevity.—On the plant, inflorescences            maintain good color and substance for about two weeks in an            outdoor environment. As cut flowers, inflorescences maintain            good color and substance for about five days in an indoor            environment.        -   Quantity of inflorescences per flowering stem.—About 30 to            40 inflorescences and inflorescence buds per plant.        -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 9 cm. Depth (height):            About 3 cm. Diameter of disc: About 2.5 cm. Receptacle            diameter: About 2 cm. Receptacle height: About 9 mm.        -   Inflorescence buds.—Length: About 1.1 cm. Diameter: About            1.9 cm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Towards the apex, 171A;            towards the base, 144A.        -   Ray florets.—Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About            eight or nine in a single whorl. Length, fully developed:            About 4.6 cm. Width, fully developed: About 3 cm.            Orientation: Initially upright, eventually close to            perpendicular to the peduncle; mostly flat. Shape: Ovate.            Apex: Obtuse or acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.            Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; satiny.            Venation pattern: Parallel. Color: When opening, upper            surface: 26A; towards the base, 46A. When opening, lower            surface: 167B; towards the margins and along the veins, 46A.            Fully opened, upper surface: 26A; towards the base, 45A.            Fully opened, lower surface: 167A; along the veins, 45A.        -   Disc florets.—Number of disc florets per inflorescence:            About 120. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width, at the apex: About            3 mm. Width, at the base: About 1 mm. Shape: Tubular,            elongated. Apex: Pentafid. Base: Attenuate. Color: Immature:            200A. Mature: Apex: 23A. Mid-section: 53A. Base: 154B.        -   Phyllaries.—Quantity/arrangement: One whorl with about six            phyllaries per inflorescence. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width:            About 1.3 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate.            Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,            glabrous; leathery. Color, upper surface: Towards the base,            148B; towards the apex, 200A. Color, lower surface: 200A.        -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 60 cm. Length,            fourth peduncle: About 40 cm. Diameter: Towards the base,            about 2.2 cm; towards the apex, about 2 mm. Angle: Erect to            about 10° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture:            Glabrous, smooth. Color: 187A.        -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets            only. Stamen quantity: About five per floret. Anther shape:            Linear. Anther length: About 6 mm. Anther color: 16A. Pollen            amount: Abundant. Pollen color: 23A. Gynoecium: Present on            ray and disc florets. Pistil quantity: One per floret.            Pistil length: About 5 mm. Stigma shape: Lanceolate. Stigma            color: 12A. Style length: About 5 mm. Style color: 150A.            Ovary color: 8A.        -   Seeds.—Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 1.3 mm. Color:            199B.-   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to    Dahlias has not been observed on plants grown under commercial    greenhouse or outdoor conditions.-   Weather tolerance: Plants of the new Dahlia have been observed to be    very tolerant to wind, rain and full sun conditions. Plants of the    new Dahlia have been observed to tolerate temperatures from 0 to 40°    C.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant named ‘HS Date’, asillustrated and described.